On August 29th, the ‘Korean Film Festival in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and China’ was held at Olympics branch of CGV in Beijing. A total of 12 films was screened under the theme of ‘Korean Film Festival in My Heart’. Following the opening film Architecture 101, Deranged, Sunny, Secret Sunshine, The Chaser and Failan pleased Chinese audiences one after another.

The event took place to celebrate the 20 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations and introduce Korean films to Chinese audiences. The event was co-hosted by Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and co-run by KOFIC, Korean Cultural Center in China and CJ E&M.

Directors such as LEE Chang-dong and SONG Hae-sung as well as the honorary ambassadors LEE Je-hoon and TANG Wei were in attendance. At the opening ceremony, LEE Chang-dong said, “I was impressed by TANG Wei’s acting. I would like to work with her some day.” TANG Wei answered to him, “I could gladly accept it if you suggest me so.” She then expressed her affection to Korean film and Korean cineastes saying, “I co-starred with HYUN Bin in Late Autumn. The experience of working with Korean staff made me trust in them. Her speech was very meaningful because it symbolically showed the hopeful possibilities of active exchange between Korean and Chinese film industries.

On August 30, LEE Chang-dong had a conversation with the audiences of Secret Sunshine. On that day, Chinese audiences wouldn’t stop asking him questions. Even when the moderator said, “The traffic will stop at 10 pm.”, not a single person willing to leave the seat. It was a chance to see Chinese audiences' love for Korean film. At Renaissance Hotel in Beijing on the same day, 'Korea-China Film Exchange Forum' was held on the same day. They held the event intending to have an in-depth conversation between both countries under the theme of Korean and Chinese films. FAN Xiaoqing (professor of Theater and Film at Communication University of China), one of the participants, said, “Chinese film directors are influenced a lot by Soviet and Russian films, so their films are very much art oriented.

This means they have a very low level of sense in popular and commercial films. Chinese directors need to learn commercial sense from Korean directors. The system that enables them to technically make films within limited time and budget is also what Chinese need to learn." I hope the 'Korean Film Festival in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and China' opened a new age of exchange and sympathy between the two countries.

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